A couple of years ago, I was the biggest packrat you ever saw.
I also had files, folders, music, items all scattered all over my entire apartment and in a HUGE HONKING MESS
Then one day, I looked at the pile of papers on the table, felt a migraine coming on and said: This has gotta stop.
And from there, I started reading organizational tips here and there, but mostly, I ended up looking at what I used, what I didn’t use and what I was keeping just for sentimental reasons.
Then this slow wave of “Wow.. my life is SO cluttered right now”.. washed over me, and hence the whole Closet Cleanout ordeal, and the wave of organizing (Project Scanathon – scanning in all my documents into e-copies), and basically trying to pare down on everything I own.
The dream is to be able to move everything I own, in 2 suitcases or less. Big ones mind you, but enough to take everything I own with me to a big city. Can I achieve that? Probably not. Can I try? Hell yes.
But the main point of this rambling post, is that you can train yourself to be organized. For example: I’ve gotten into the habit of the following for files and folders because we all know technology + files + email + attachments = SUCKS
- Using numbers in front. E.g. “1. Project A“, “2. Project B“, because that way, it organizes your folders in a logical manner instead of doing it alphabetically
- Using naming conventions. I do it like this: General Category_Sub Category_Name of file_Day Month Year
E.g. Bank_Statement_Quarterly Retirement_01 Apr 2008
- Renaming everything I get. People send me excel and word files with “untitled”, or non-descriptive terms like “sales”. For me to really find what I need, I rename sales for example to: Project_Sales_Forecast to Plan_JSmith_23 Mar 2008
*JSmith is the person who sent it, so I always remember where I got it from. Sometimes I don’t bother with the name.
The key is to find a naming convention that fits with how your brain works.
- Organizing it into folders: Music, Photographs (by Groups of people like: Friends, Family, etc)
- Backing up everything, two, three, four times. I do this about twice a week or more. Yes, je suis anal retentive. In my line of work, things can disappear off a shared server or drive in a matter of seconds. I like having multiple backups in case I do a major change then someone comes back to me with a puppy dog face like: OOOPS I f*cked up and want it back to the original format, don’t hate me!……. To which I reply: Ok, I won’t any more because you see, I backed up everything from the past 
Kind of mad huh? I also do that “Sort by Type” thing in Windows so that all my Powerpoints group together, or all my Excels group together.
It was a real pain in the ass in the beginning, but now, it’s just habit. 
And it has flowed into almost all aspects of my life, and now everything is ridiculously organized…
- Getting organized = Gaining control
- What’s In FB’s Bag?
- 3 Things a Day
- Secret Single Behaviours (SSB)
- Put your life in order
Auburn Kat
on Mar 25th, 2008
@ 8:07 PM:
Thankfully I am only unorganized when it comes to my clothes!
One of my tricks is reading Real Simple, it always inspires me to organize and clean!
Lys
on Mar 25th, 2008
@ 8:19 PM:
I need to get organized – in the worst way. I’ve been so bad lately *sigh*
So@24
on Mar 25th, 2008
@ 8:20 PM:
I always keep every single thing for “memories”.
All my friends make fun of me.
Fabulously Broke
on Mar 25th, 2008
@ 8:43 PM:
Auburn: It’s what I love organizing best…
Lys: I keep telling myself that but my piles are all organized just.. not in neat boxes
SO: Awww… that’s so cute for a guy.. But I’m seriously on a zen thing right now
Secretista
on Mar 25th, 2008
@ 10:12 PM:
That must have been a long process! My dad is anal about how he organizes his things, so I’m anal about how I like my stuff, meaning, I’m naturally organized–thanks dad. Now, if I could get better hand writing…
Fabulously Broke
on Mar 26th, 2008
@ 5:46 AM:
Secretista: Man I’m going to pass it on to my kids too I think
QL girl
on Mar 26th, 2008
@ 10:57 AM:
ugh…I used to keep everything. I had a box with all of my stuffed animals from when I was a kid, boxes with napkins from places I went to in middle school, and programs and tickets and tons of junk. I decided to start getting rid of all that stuff one summer that I was home from school(when I was half-buried in my own junk and boxes from the things I had for my dorm) Disorganization and clutter seriously impacts your life!
Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances
on Mar 26th, 2008
@ 11:45 AM:
My husband and I are both proof that you can train yourself to be more organized. The important part is creating a system that you’ll use, then using it long enough that it becomes a habit that you don’t even have to think about.
For years, we had a mail sorting hangup. After nagging him to create a sorting system, I gave up and sacrificed my flip flops bins and a few boxes, put them on a bookcase, and labeled them using note cards and binder clips. Now we have inboxes for each of us, plus Shred, Recycle, Receipts, his Work, a coupon folder, and a garbage can. Now, we just have to put together a receipt system this week before they overflow the bin.
The great things is, he’s starting to really understand how great it is to be organized and see that even he can be organized. He’s had some light bulb moments that were, dare I say, cute.
Fabulously Broke
on Mar 26th, 2008
@ 2:07 PM:
ql girl: It’s what I’m going through now!!
Meg: LOL… I love cute moments of organization.. I got some of them esp when I get stressed
Lynda Brewer
on Sep 30th, 2009
@ 3:18 PM:
I just love your posts! I grew up thinking that the more you saved and owned the better off you were, and then I married a packrat. By the time I escaped that I was a packrat myself! One day in a fit of depression I threw a BUNCH of stuff away and it was like a high one gets from drugs, it felt sooo good! I rode that high for a while but since then myself and my daughter have worked to reduce – and the more we reduce, the less we trip over, the happier we get! In the kitchen now instead of tripping over gizmos to get to what I need I can grab it fairly easily – and I’ve learned that we don’t NEED all the stuff the stores say we do – most of it is something I already have repurposed!
That same pattern is following throughout the whole house. It is a long process, but it feels so good to look around and not see a ton of clutter! Instead of 100 things on the wall I rotate my mothers paintings one at a time in a place of honor. I get a different look and each thing gets a place in the sun! I plan to work on reading the older parts of your blog as time allows!
Thank you for your wonderful blog!
Lynda Brewer´s last blog ..Stuff